Quick Hit: Public Comment Open on Hospital Visitation Rule Change

We recently wrote about a proposed rule change that would protect patients’ rights to choose and designate their own visitors during a hospital stay. The change would make hospital visitation much easier for LGBTQ patients and their partners. At the time, we indicated that while public comment would be open for 60 days before the rule could be made official, the proposal hadn’t been posted yet for comment.

The proposed rule is now posted for public comment at Regulations.gov. Comments are being accepted until 11:59 pm Eastern time on August 27, 2010. Click on “Submit Comment” at the top of the page to weigh in on the proposed rule.

Once comments are submitted and uploaded, you’ll be able to view them here. (You won’t see any just yet, as none have been uploaded as of this writing.) You can also sign up for email alerts on this item and use the “Share” options to post to Twitter, Facebook, and other services.

One Comment

This is so overdue; under both federal law and Joint Commission standards, patient rights already include the right to be involved in one’s own plan of care. It is shameful that some hospitals still deny patients the fundamental right to define their own family for purposes of visitation. This should be part of every patient plan of care.